Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, was formally approached by the National Awards Committee to seek his consent for inclusion in this year’s civil honours list with a Padma Bhushan. He has declined the award, which is well within his right, like his once-famous statement, ‘I exercise my right to remain silent,’ when pushed to answer an embarrassing subject. Likewise, two eminent Bengal artists, singer Sandhya Mukhopadhyay and table maestro Anindya Chatterjee have declined the offer.
Governments are run by parties wedded to particular philosophies or opposed to certain ideologies, based on which the people elect them. The moment they are in the government and take the constitutional oath, the opposition must keep aside their differences in matters concerning national image and respect. The government must also cease working as an extension of the political parties to which they belong.
As much as I know, being a recipient of a civil award, a knighthood, I was phoned by none less than the ambassador to seek my consent. In most countries, the practice is followed to take advanced consent from the awardees.
Be that as it may, excepting the dare to break from the ideas of the left bastion, Buddhadeb babu, other than being an honest man of high integrity, failed to do much for his State. The very choice reeks of suspicion of the government to appease the left cadres in West Bengal. Smt. Sandhya, a nonagenarian, apparently felt that a Padma Shri, the lowest in the list, was not befitting her. She was awarded the State’s ‘Banga Bibhushan’ in 2011. Anindya Chatterjee did not court any controversy while politely declining the award.
The media has now got a new chance to criticize Modi and his government over the snub of Buddha babu ‘refusing’ the Padma Bhushan award. The so-called jubilant but misplaced mood is also reflected on the social networks from the walls of many of my leftist intellectual friends. If he had to refuse the award, which is a national honour, Buddha babu must have been graceful in remaining silent, the right that he had exercised while being the CM.
To me, publicizing refusal of awards, then returning awards, ‘Award Wapasi,’ as a rebellious group movement against a government, etc., is unwise. But then, we are belligerent and rebellious from the British period and cannot change.
A Padma Bhushan award was announced to Ghulam Nabi Azad, which he has gracefully accepted, regardless of the wide extremities in every issue between his and the ruling party.
National awards must not become political missiles to settle scores.
Jai Hind.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
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I read somewhere that Mr Bhadhdhadev Bhattacharjee has opined that he is not aware of the significance of these awards. If this is true, having held a constitutional post, how he can feign ignorance?
In Mr Bhattacharjee’s case, home ministry officials explained the flub saying the call was received by his wife, who had thanked the Home Secretary for the award.
Typical politics at play